Crimea communist leader urges to take erection of Stalin statue easy

YALTA (QHA) -

Crimean communist leader Leonid Grach admits that erection of Stalin statue in Crimea is a difficult issue for Crimean Tatars, still calls on to take historical facts easy.

Communist leader’s comments comes a day before a memorial to Big Three-- Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt-- will be erected in Crimea as part of the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the 1945 Yalta conference Feb 5.

“This is not a statue to Stalin only, but a statue to the “Big Three”. Oppose the statue’s erection means opposition to those who ruled the United States and Great Britain. This is not right”- Grach said to Krym.realii, adding that “one should turn the pages of history, as it all belongs to historical process”.

“Issues of peaceful developments were settled during the Yalta Conference. We should take it easy, without emotions. Opposing the statue means opposing the history”- the communist leader summed up.

In 1944, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin ordered the mass deportation of Crimean Tatar population, accusing them of collaboration with the Nazi occupation regime.